What are you to do if your boss asks or expects you to do something that you know is wrong? The temptation far too many people succumb to is to rationalize. The most common rationalization is to tell yourself that your highest ethical duty is to your family (or maybe yourself) and that you owe it to them (or you) not to you lose your job or?jeopardize?promotion opportunities. The problem with this is that it ignores a larger responsibility to your family: to model courage and character. Moreover, this argument is always available and therefore trumps any concept of personal integrity or a duty to your?family? yourself, your company and the community to do what is right not what is expedient or easy.
To be sure, the risks of asserting integrity to a boss who prefers obedience are real. People with power often retaliate when they don?t get what they want. This can make your life difficult.
Still, moral courage is the much-needed bodyguard of conscience and character. The personal costs of putting your integrity on the auction block are so high that we have to take the risk. Once you descend the slippery slope of moral compromise, it?s hard to resist the inevitable slide.
It?s wrong to ask someone to lie or cheat and when a person who has power over you asks, it?s worse. Power is intimidating. But so is unswerving integrity. When someone asks or expects you to do something improper the most effective way to protect your integrity is to refuse immediately, firmly, and as tactfully as you can (don?t be self-righteous). Rather than worry what that person thinks of you, let them worry about what you think of them. And let them worry how asking you compromises their reputations, integrity and subjects them to risk.
See my commentary at http://whatwillmatter.com/2012/10/commentary-799-3-the-intimidating-power-of-integrity/
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